Day 12 – Getting Smarter

The wind came roaring back last night. The side of the tarp was pressing against me all night, whipping and crackling. I was cold because wind was coming in under my tarp. Fumbling around in the dark, I noticed two snaps in the quilt corners by the neck. I snapped them under me, making the quilt more like a sleeping bag at the top. There was a drawstring, too, that allows me to close the opening even more. For God’s sake, should have read the owners manual?! It was much warmer after that. I could even pull my head in like a turtle to keep the wind off my face.

However, the wind was pulling the tarp stakes out of the ground even though I anchored them with rocks. My first reaction to all this was to desire conventional heavier equipment. But no, I am going to keep working at this. I need to adapt. Another example: Yesterday I was cold all day from the chilly wind against my bare legs and thin hiking shirt. For Pete’s sake, I have wind pants and jacket for that very purpose! Use them. Get smarter, Dave.

It is good to be near others, but I have to focus on getting things right for me first. Let’s see if I feel the same way later in the day.

Pushing ahead

Today looks like a 20-mile day for me. I have picked out a campsite destination that fits my plan. Overall, it is 65 miles to my next town, Etna. That is three nights on the trail at my present pace. I have just enough food to make it. I have enough battery power, too, to keep my phone and satellite locator charged.

On my way out of camp I wander over to talk to two young men camping near me on the lake. One of them had thru-hiked the PCT in 2017. His trail name is Uncle Jesse. He has some stories! (Mostly of the partying kind). He asks me how I liked the wind last night. I said I had to learn to set up my tarp better. He said that it was some of the worst wind he had seen on the trail and it looked like I had done alright. That made me feel good. He also says he likes my wind pants, which I am wearing for the first time. I beam. Here are the two young lads.

The lake view from my camp site in the morning isn’t too shabby either. See the photo at the top of this post.

I get out of camp at 7:15. The ladies probably left at 6 so I am already almost three miles behind them. I had hoped to stay closer so we could leap frog through the day and I could learn more about them. They probably think I’m a stalker.

Trinity shines

Uncle Jesse had mentioned that we would be passing through one of his favorite PCT sections – the Trinity Wilderness area of the Klamath Forest. This morning I see why he said that.

As I hike, I ponder the events of yesterday. After a while I devise a story for yesterday’s unusual weather;

David and the mountain invited the sun to play. The sun, showing up late, found that David and the mountain had started without him. This made the sun angry. He grabbed a blanket from the couch and threw it over them. David and the mountain continued to play under the blanket. The sun, feeling left out, pulled off the blanket and the three played together. Occasionally, the sun had to leave to check on his horses. (The sun drives a horse-driven chariot, as you know.) An when he would leave, David and the mountain would dive, giggling, back under the blanket until the sun returned. They played this way the rest of the day.

My thoughts also return to the four women I met. I had been hoping for more conversation, but the time and the weather kind of got in the way. And now I may not see them until the end of the day. It is just as well. I can’t burden them with being the answer for my loneliness. And actually today I feel pretty good.

In case you were wondering, wind pants and wind shirts are made from super thin material designed to cut the wind but not add warmth or weight. They are also very light. Together my wind pants and shirt weight 3.5 oz. On the down side, they look like those parachute pants that were popular a couple decades ago! However, they are perfect for today as the wind continues to blow hard. It feels good to be figuring this stuff out. I am finding my mojo.

Another trail god appears

I meet another thru-hiker. His name is Tuna. He has to reach Canada by August 5th, so he is hiking long days in this section. Tuna is only the fifth person I have seen that started in Mexico. He knows Sandman and Ninja. Tuna got his trail name in the desert of Southern California when he dumped a whole serving of tuna on his pack. As if we don’t smell bad enough out here! We leap frog through the day and then he is gone. Happy trails, Tuna.

Cruisin’

In the afternoon I really get into the he hiker groove. The views are so amazing and I am making decent time.

You may have already picked up on this, but I do love flowers. I love this colorful bouquet and the picture after it shows a whole mountaintop covered with a carpet of tiny violets.

Unsettled, settled

As camp nears, I grow excited about who I might find there. Just then, I get a painful twinge in my left knee. My patellar tendinitis is flaring up. I slow down and take careful steps. The pain subsides. Is this getting better or worse? Is there something more I should be doing, or is rest and time what I need? Questions.

I walk into camp to find the Wander Women and Jane. There is still one campsite left. After a few brief conversations I learn that these women are expert backpackers. They have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail AND the Continental Divide Trail. Completing the PCT will make them Triple Crowners! Jane is also experienced, but I have yet to hear her story. I am so lucky to be hiking with them. Over the next few days I hope to tell you more about them.

If all goes well, I will pass the 200-mile mark tomorrow. But now I need to get to sleep so I can leave with my new friends on the he trail in the morning.

• June 13
• Starting mile: 1535
• Ending mile: 1555
• Daily PCT miles: 20
• Total PCT miles: 183
• Animals: a Tuna